Ekiti, Osun guber polls’ll be rig and roast – Tinubu

IBADAN—FORMER Lagos State Governor and National Leader of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Asiwaju Ahmed Tinubu, yesterday threatened fire and brimstone over any plan to rig the forthcoming governorship elections in Ekiti and Osun states fixed for this year’s June and August, warning that “It will be rig and roast.”

He spoke at his investiture as the Chancellor of Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, Ogbomoso and award of honourary doctor of science in Management Science.

Apparently reacting to an earlier statement credited to the Vice President Namadi Sambo, that the elections of the states would be a warfare, he said, “We are prepared not to go to court but to drive you out. We will not take it anymore. If you mess up in Ekiti and Osun states, you will see our reactions. For every action, there must be a reaction.”

He urged electorates in the affected states and across the country to protect their votes, saying “No government that wants people’s votes will be doing what they are doing. They are planning to rig the elections but be ready to protect your votes. It is going to be rig and roast.”

On the comments of President Goodluck Jonathan in Kano, where he accused the state governor, Alhaji Rabiu Kwankwaso of mismanaging the money meant for his campaign in 2011, Asiwaju Tinubu asked the President where he got such huge amount of money, having said during one of his political campaigns that he had no shoe.

Tinubu, who spoke on the topic, “Two faces of despair: State of the Nigeria nation,” also faulted President Jonathan’s administration on the Gross Domestic Product, GDP that government released, economy and insecurity in the country.

While speaking satirically, he said, “Nigeria has magically leaped over South Africa to become the largest economy in Africa. Too bad the magical statistics do not translate into a magical improvement in the people’s economic condition. The recent rebasing putting Nigeria ahead of South Africa has raised more doubts about the objectives of those in charge of economy. From a modest of 305 billion dollars, Nigeria’s GDP ballooned to 488 billion dollars.

“The GDP mathematics is an offensive sideshow, given the real hardships Nigerians face. This is another variant of the vision 2020 gimmick and to make the government look good prior to the World Economic Forum meeting in Abuja next month. It is propaganda not progress.”

Rather than fight corruption, Tinubu alleged that the PDP administration was married to corruption.
“Can this government step forward and tell Nigerians why 20 billion dollars in oil revenue remains unaccounted for? What have become of the kerosene subsidy scandal and the nearly one trillion naira that disappeared?”, he asked.

Before presenting the speech, he urged the crowd at the ceremony to have a minute silence for the female students that were kidnapped in Chibok.

He condemned the response of the Federal Government to the plight of the kidnapped students and their traumatised parents, claiming that “They lied to us. They cannot even account for their number. How many hours did the Boko Haram insurgents spend in that school to pack those students? Just the following day, when parents and all Nigerians were in grief, the President was dancing in Kano. We are not serious.”

Speaking on late Moshood Abiola, Tinubu said, ”I need say no more than this man was the president Nigeria elected in the fairest election ever held.”
While commending the Vice Chancellor of the institution, Professor Adeniyi Gbadegesin, he said he was very proud to become the fourth chancellor of the university, promising to work with his team leaders to make the institution a first class university.